


Born of Graves and Grieving Hearts

by canufeelthemagictonight



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Drabble, Foreshadowing, Funerals, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Grieving, Promises, Wordcount: 100-500, it is of course depressing as hell, my way of welcoming the newbie to the squad, sad Nikita, takes place between s3 and s4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-02 12:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19199017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canufeelthemagictonight/pseuds/canufeelthemagictonight
Summary: Bretman Rock doesn't like to get tongue-tied. He prefers to know the exact quick quip that needs to be whipped out to make his friends smile and/or roll their eyes in his direction. But what can he say when he doesn't knowwhatto say?Nothing.Which is, in its own way, worst of all.As journeys end, another begins.An Escape the Night one-shot.





	Born of Graves and Grieving Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> So we got All-Stars, except there is also Bretman here. I decided to welcome him to the Escape the Night family by whipping him up a quick drabble. Enjoy.

Bretman Rock doesn't like to get tongue-tied. He prefers to know the exact quick quip that needs to be whipped out to make his friends smile and/or roll their eyes in his direction. But what can he say when he doesn't know _what_ to say? _Nothing._ Which is, in its own way, worst of all.

His chest feels sweaty underneath his third-favorite black vest, and so does his hand, which is firmly held captive by Nikita's shaking fingers. Gabriel stands on Nikita's other side, gripping her arm protectively. Not far away, the _other_ survivor of the third "YouTube massacre," MatPat (Bretman hazily remember him as "the one who does the game theories"), breathes as if he's trying not to scream in sad frustration. Of course, there's a row just for the family, who all seem to have identical expressions of heartache on their tear-stained faces. All the most prominent members of the beauty community are also here: James Charles, Laura Lee, Jaclyn Hill...hell, even Jeffree Star has bothered to stop by to pay his (slightly reluctant) respects.

Noticeably _not_ here: Joey Graceffa. Bretman shrugs his absence off, since _the poor guy's too busy being not-missing for once in his life._

"We have all been deeply hurt by Manuel's passing," says the officiant solemnly, adjusting his too-thick glasses to get a better look at the remarks that he's already prepared. "Though he was taken from the bosom of his family and friends far too early, we will try in the short time we have here today to make this occasion a celebration of his life, and to express our thanks for having known him."

 _Celebration?_ Bretman shakes his head. _Bitch, do we look like we wanna celebrate? There's a reason I didn't bring my party balloons!_

The service goes on. Nikita, the toughest girl Bretman knows, fully breaks down somewhere around the Lord's Prayer, sobbing so hard that she's probably going to smear her makeup at this rate. Bretman thinks that he hears the words "sorry" and "my fault" somewhere in there, but he doesn't think about it too hard. Instead, he goes ahead and lends her his shoulder; the risk to his vest doesn't bother him as much as it would've on any other day.

He doesn't look at the casket. He doesn't want to see Manny's face when that face doesn't have any life behind it, no matter how good or bad of a job they might've done on his makeup. It's not important. Manny's gone, just like all those other YouTubers, and he sure as hell doesn't need Bretman's attention as much as the living do.

 _Especially_ Nikita.

 _I'll help her smile again,_ Bretman promises himself as he pulls Nikita closer to his broken heart. _I'm gonna fix this. I dunno how, but there's_ gotta _be a way to make things right._

(Somewhere in the world, Joey Graceffa is already planning on doing just that.)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the family, Bretman! Do try not to die.


End file.
